Antimicrobial agents and preservatives have been used to kill or inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms. Commonly used agents include parabens, esters of p-benzoic acid, formaldehyde releasers, isothiazolinones, organic acids, and organic alcohols. Some issues that arise when choosing an agent for a particular application include biocide tolerance, public perception, toxicity (including skin irritation or sensitization), incompatibility or insolubility with other ingredients in the formulation, stability, deactivation by pH, and odor. In response, nonconventional agents have been studied such as 1,2-alkanediols, phospholipids, benzoic/sorbic acids, essential oils and other natural materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,681 discloses the use for antimicrobial action of mixtures of two, three or more straight-chain 1,2-alkanediols, the chains lengths of which (i) are different and (ii) in each case are in the range of 5 to 10 carbon atoms.
Natural or naturally derived antimicrobial ingredients are preferred for many applications. However, there is a limited availability of natural materials suitable for antimicrobial compositions. There is also an environmental advantage for manufacturers to provide products of renewably based sources.
Thus, there exists a need for antimicrobial compositions containing ingredients derived from renewable resources, which are non-skin irritating, safe, and effective for repeated use in various applications against a broad spectrum of microorganisms at minimal amounts.